Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
